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Buy the Samsung HZ10W

The Samsung HZ10W is aimed at fans of wide-angle photography. Featuring a 10.2 effective megapixel image sensor behind a Schneider-branded 10x optical zoom lens, the HZ10W offers a 24 - 240mm equivalent focal range, a generous wide angle to a useful telephoto. Maximum aperture varies from F3.3 to F5.8 across the zoom range. As you'd expect on a camera with a lens of this reach, there's no optical viewfinder, with images instead being framed on a 2.7" LCD display with 230,000 dot resolution.

The HZ10W's ISO sensitivity ranges from 80 to 1,600, with the ability to extend this to a maximum of ISO 3,200 at a reduced three megapixel resolution. The Samsung HZ10W offers contrast detection autofocusing, with a face detection function capable of detecting nine faces simultaneously that's also linked to the camera's autoexposure system. The HZ10W also has both smile shot and blink detection functions, which can be used to prevent capture of a photo if somebody blinks, and to automatically trigger the shutter when your subject is smiling. The Samsung HZ10W has 13 scene modes aimed at keeping things approachable for beginner photographers while still offering a degree of control over images. More experienced photographers will appreciate the ability to select an aperture or shutter speed manually, with available shutter speeds ranging from 16 to 1/1500 second.

Usefully given the telephoto range available, the Samsung HZ10W includes true mechanical image stabilization, as part of what Samsung terms "Dual Image Stabilization". The other part of the function is Digital Image Stabilization, which combats blur using the camera's firmware, automatically raising the camera's ISO sensitivity (and noise levels) as needed. The Samsung HZ10W has the ability to record movies in MPEG-4 H.264 format, with a maximum resolution of 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) at 30 frames per second. The HZ10W stores its images on SD or MMC cards, and derives its power from a proprietary lithium-ion battery pack. Connectivity options include NTSC / PAL video, and USB 2.0 computer connectivity of unspecified speed.

The Samsung HZ10W ships from January 2009 in either black or silver variants, with pricing set at about $300.